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At first glance, neither of these glyphs can be read syllabically as to-ko-TAN to give Toktan. On the left, reading the component signs of the glyph block in the normal order, we have ko-to-TAN, but Maya scribes are known to have been playful with the order in which they arranged the glyphs. On the right, we appear to have to-TAN. (The entire left side of the glyph block is the logograph K'UH, "god", which in this context is properly construed in its adjectival form k'uhul, "godly, holy, divine". The two balls on top, together representing the word ajaw, "lord", are read last.)

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Note: Signs are the smallest meaningful visual units in hieroglyphic writing. Logographs are signs that represent complete words. Syllabic signs, composed of a consonant and a vowel, are used in combination to write out words in the script or, singly, as phonetic complements, clueing how a certain logograph is to be pronounced. This essay follows the convention of transcribing logographs in boldface capital letters and syllabic signs in lowercase bold.